Mixmaster?

[Ulex Europae]

On 11/27/06, R.A. Hettinga <rah at shipwright.com> wrote:
> At 11:13 PM -0500 11/26/06, Ulex "Europae" (s/b Ulex europaeus, a small
> highland shrub; maybe it's trying to speak in the royal 'we', but more
> likely Yet Another EuroLefty, apparently of the Scottish* variety) wrote:

You missed by a whole continent, that's the latest salvo in a barrage
though. If the message is unassailable, attack the messenger. That
comes through loud and clear. I thought you were better than that,
RAH. I haven't trolled at all in these last couple of replies either,
perhaps you wished I had so you could dismiss these uncomfortable
truths more easily.

> > You aren't really advancing a might-makes-right argument are you?
>
> Might makes *fact*.

No. Galileo advanced a fact and might swatted him for it, that the
Earth was the center of the universe has never been a fact. There are
other "facts" that simply aren't so despite consensus to the contrary.

> "Right" is a fact made palatable by rationalization.

It sounds like you are engaging in your own rationalizations.

> Again, for the groundlings, at least, since shrubbery doesn't have ears:
> When the market needs ubiquitous easy-to-use encryption it'll get it. When
> that's the case nothing the state can do will "repress" it.

You haven't been paying attention, have you? A refresher: the EFF is
suing AT&T for getting into bed with the NSA and the widespread
eavesdropping that has been engaged in. Widespread encryption has been
needed for quite some time, it hasn't been particularly wanted because
it isn't easy or accessible. Yet.

> And, when somebody writes code worthy of being ubiquitous and easy-to-use,
> there's nothing the market will be able do to "repress" it, either.

Prove it. You could use a few extra million dollars, couldn't you?

>And
> somebody will get rich writing it, because the market will pay for it.
>
> So, take your shot, um, Mr. Shrub, and *write* the code you want. Until
> then, stop bleating around here about your "rights", and how other people
> should do your work for you for free.

Let's review. I asked why Mixmaster software was not available for the
Win32 platform. The underlying question, why fully-encrypted
communications were not more widespread - you've more than amply
demonstrated why.

--Ulex